Stonestriders Together
by Kieve Grove
Summary: Kennocha Bloomcaller and Winoa Summerdream are being forced to watch their world fall apart. From the threats of the Legion to chaos of their tribe, they will have to not only endure the devastation, but defend against it. The taurenesses will have to stand together to have any chance, but can they keep their ground when it begins to quake under their feet?
1. Chapter 1

It was a simple and calm day for the taureness. The tall brittle grasses, ranging from pale yellow to emerald green, swayed in the passing breeze. The fallen leaves and wonderful smells from the nearby city traveled through the air, much to her delight. The mountains rose up on all sides, defending the tranquility of the plains from the ongoing conflict. Above the mountain ranges was the darkening blue sky that held the Earthmother's brilliantly shining eyes as An'she ran past towards the taureness's edge of view and Mu'sha followed her sister. Her eyes wandered back to the land. The relaxed plainstriders were slowly walking away from the loud stomping of the kodo herds. Some swoops still flew around looking for scraps and small rodents, but many of them had retired for the evening. Even the local wolves and cougars seemed at peace, sleeping in the warmth of the setting sun.

These were the types of days she loved the most. Had it been any other night, she would have sat down in the swaying grasses and observed. The taureness thought of how she would jump off her wolf companion and watch her smaller companions as they enjoyed the open air after so many hours in cages meant to keep them safe. She then might have taken out notes to study or simply observe the scene of oddly peaceful creatures and slip into deep thought. However, she had to travel to Thunderbluff to answer the cry of her dearest friend. Still staring at the sights in front of her, she sighed deeply before continuing to walk towards the towering mesas of the city.

The familiar sight had been comforting at first, seeing the progress her people had made over the last few years. Now, however, she was debating ignoring the call to the city. It had been years since she had left the city for her calling. She had been so determined to travel across Azeroth, to help everyone that she could. She would have never imagined that she would be traveling back to her old stomping grounds, especially under these conditions. She breathed deeply as she held the reins of her favorite mount. No, she would finish the journey to Thunderbluff, just as she had promised her.

At last, she reached the elevator at a mesa base. Patiently waiting for the lowering platform to reach her, she stroked the fur of the brown wolf, assuring him that it would be alright. Her soothing words reached her other companions as well, with her hand returning to the large containers on the back of the wolf. In them, a tiny brown fawn and a spotted white rabbit whimpered. Her brows scrunched together-she didn't think that the trip would take as long as it had. She would have to figure out a good apology for the many days spent in those damned cages, but first and foremost she had a mission. The platform lowered and both paws and hooves stepped on the platform as it rose upwards.

She arrived to step foot on the bottom tier of the middle rise. By now, the smells of baked bread, fresh fish, and other assorted goods were strong enough to make the taureness drool. She couldn't handle the ache in her stomach anymore. Deciding to buy a few fish, a loaf of bread, and a particularly good looking salad; she walked up to a group of small open tents where the scent was coming from. The taureness reached into the bag she carried on her back for some coin to make the purchase. Placing the silver pieces on the counter, she ordered and received the food she desired.

After the exchange, she decided to walk up the rise to a small area of Thunderbluff she remembered visiting the last time she was there. The small yet luscious pond was still there much to her joy. The clear blue water with the tall weeds poking out of the water near the edge of the pond had only grown since she had last been there.

The others around seemed to enjoying it as well. Some were meditating by its calm waters, while others gathered to socialize with one another. She quietly thought to herself that everything was so much more peaceful than what was going on outside. She walked over to one of the water's edges where there was less people. Sitting down by the pond, she looked over to see her companions by her side. The taureness smiled as she released the small creatures from their cages, watching them as they wandered to the pond edge to drink alongside the large wolf. She turned her attention back to the food as she laid out some meat and flora for the others to eat. For herself, she picked up the bread and began to consume the first quiet meal she had had in many days now.

"Well look who finally made it!"

Finishing her last bite, she looked up and down for the source of the voice. It was difficult to figure out who exactly called, especially since the source seemed to come from a rather large crowd of tauren. She shrugged in defeat and turned back to her meal. Taking a bite from the small fish she had bought herself, she watched her critters as they returned to enjoy their meal as well. A light tap of the shoulder made her turn around once more as she heard the same familiar voice speak, but with a more distinct tone of worry rather than excitement.

"Sister, I thought you would have at least said 'Hello' after so long."

Eyes widening, the taureness smiled as she stood up to speak with her friend. Her light brown fur was hastily groomed like she remembered it to be., but there was no sign of the long braids. Instead, there were four wild ponytails of chopped hair. Her smile was wide as ever if not a bit forced, but her bright blue eyes seemed off somehow. Even the proud white horns that extend to either side of her head were different with the way they were coated in a thin layer of dried mud. Despite the worry that had led her here and the way her friend looked, she began to stand up to greet her.

Once she was up on her two feet, she looked down as she began apologizing. "I am so sorry. I suppose I got a bit distracted by the food and-"

Widening her grin, the other taureness interrupted. "There is no need to explain. You just arrived from your travels and we have some important things to discuss. But first, there is something I need to do."

Before she had time to respond, her body was wrapped in her friend's arms. The taureness returned the hug. There they stood for what seemed like all but a moment. Once they parted, she looked her friend in the eyes and widened her grin.

"It is good to see you too, Winoa. Tell me, what had been troubling you. You seemed quite distressed when you wrote to me last time and you said you would explain everything once I got here. So…" The taureness made small circles with her hand, urging her to pick up where she left off.

Winoa began playing with her fingers as she nodded. "Alright, but I cannot speak about here and definitely not without some tea." She paused, noticing how dirty and tired the other taureness looked. "When was the last time you were able to sit down to a good cup of herbal tea?" Her voice filled with more concern as she spoke.

"It has been a while…" The taureness admitted as her friend grabbed her by the arm and seemed to drag her to a small tent that she knew belonged to Winoa.

Once inside, the taureness looked around to find that much had changed since the last time she had been inside the tent. Where she used to lay her well-loved rug down for rest, there was now a medium sized bag overflowing with needles, thread, and other supplies for leatherworking. Instead of the many parchments that would overflow from the makeshift shelves, there was stacks of raw hide and clean smoking pipes. Even the comforting smell of tea had faded, now mixed with other herbs the taureness knew were not for brewing or ink. She decided to sit down near the leatherworking bag. She settled in, listening to Winoa brew the beverages. Besides the sound of pots being filled with water and the ruffle of the herb bags, the tent was filled with an awkward silence that only ceased once Winoa sat down alongside Kennocha.

"The tea is ready. Sorry about the brew, it might be a bit stale after sitting out for so long." The taureness apologized as she sat by Kennocha. "It was not out too long though, so it should still be alright."

Kennocha gave a soft smile towards her friend. "It seems wonderful." She watched as Winoa looked down at her cup, stirring its contents quietly. "Please, Winoa, why are you so worried? You know I want to help."

"I know that. It is why I asked you to meet me here." Winoa grumbled. The cheerful display she had shown off outside had quickly vanished, making Kennocha worry even more for her friend.

"I assume you have not heard of Jafern yet, have you?" Winoa asked in a near whisper. She looked up to lock eyes with Kennocha. Looking at her friend, she finally recognized how red and puffy her eyes were. Something was wrong.

Nodding, the taureness sighed as she continued her explanation. "Well the two of us were organizing the feast to celebrate our union, right here actually, when he randomly asked if I loved him. I was confused, but I answered him anyway. I told him that I loved him with all my heart and it seemed alright afterwards. He just nodded as we went back to our planning sessions."

Kennocha bowed her head, listening as she took the final sip of her tea. Realizing the long pause from Winoa, she leaned closer to her so that their shoulders touched. Turning to see her face, she saw her eyes begin to tear up as she went ahead with the tale.

"I did not think much of it until two weeks ago. I was sitting by the edge of the pond, thinking about the future when Jafern surprised me. When I turned to see him, I saw him dressed in his Brave armour. All he did was tell me that he was going on duty and he could not wait to see me tonight. I shrugged if off once again as the exhaustion from the festivities." She paused once more, taking a deep breath as she continued.

"But he never returned. I waited for him all night, but there was no sign of him. I was worried about him, but I just assumed he got caught up in guard duty.

"By now, the demonic attacks had reached Mulgore. People were going missing constantly and those that stayed in view were constantly being barraged by their armies. I was worried about Jafern, but I had to tend to the injured and defend the towns. Between that and organizing defensives for a possible invasion, I have had no time to even think about it too often."

Kennocha furrowed her brow and nodded. She had been dealing with the Legion attacks for weeks now herself.

"The only time I get to think about him is quiet nights like this. There has been no word of him and I worry about my mate. Besides, I figured you would want to know about your brother." Her eyes finally betrayed her, trickling her face with tears as she looked Kennocha in the eyes. "Please, I need your help."

The taureness was stunned, more for her friend rather than the actual story. Winoa was known as the more strong and independent one out of the two, but here she was. If she had swallowed her pride a week ago to write to her from this desperation, what had she been going through since then?

Then there was the anxiety behind her brother's disappearance. Kennocha tried not to focus on it while Winoa suffered, but she had to wonder why he left without a reason. It just seemed unlike him.

"I do not know what to say. Did he leave anything behind, a letter perhaps?"

Winoa looked to the mat and shook her head. "He left nothing and took only the clothes on his back and his mace." Tears kept falling from her chin.

She had to do something, but she did not what to say or do. Instead, she let her instincts take over to speak.

"How about you join me in my journey?"

Well, that was not the right question, but it would have to do.

Winoa looked back up at Kennocha with her brows arching in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Well, I have to start heading down to Stranglethorn tonight. I wanted to stay longer, but I got news from the Cohort about another sparring match. So you should come with me. You might even like it." Her voice was still quiet with worry, but the tone was less restrained and more playful. "What do you say?"

The taureness was staring at her hands as she rubbed them together, thinking about the offer. "I have no choice, do I?" The light mask she had worn outside was back on, her voice airy and soft.

The taureness smiled at her friend. "You have one, but not as open as one might think." Extending her hand out to Winoa, the two grasped each other's wrists as they pulled themselves off of the mat.

They stared at each other for a minute, observing the other's face. All was quiet until Kennocha spoke up again.

"Alright, you can start packing and I will go check on the others."

Winoa's eyes widen as she remembered seeing the wolf outside. "You brought Faeren?"

"Along with Nisi, Yadwi, and Talshre. Why would I not bring them? They are friends too."

Winoa laughed, making Kennocha grin wider. "You and your critters have a special bond. Seriously though, how many animal friends have you made? You are like a prancing dryad with an army of fluffy rabbits and birds."

"I already have everyone with me. I will be back." Kennocha turned and walked out of the small tent, leaving Winoa behind to sort through her array of items.

 **Author's Note-Well this is the beginning of my first multi-chapter story. I will try to update as soon as possible, but I make no promises. Leave any comments, questions, or concerns in the reviews or p.m. me. Have a great day!**


	2. Chapter 2

Once outside, she began searching through the crowds for the sight of her companions. Yet, she couldn't see any sign of them. There was no large brown-furred wolf growling, whining from the delicate fawn, or protest from the rabbit. Even the distant shape of her hippogryph was visible now.

As Kennocha was beginning to worry about the whereabouts of the critters, a loud cry called out like a banshee scream. Fearing the worst, the taureness began running to the source of the scream. Fortunately, it was on the same tier as the she was on, she was able to get there rather quickly.

"What is going on? Are you alright?" Kennocha asked once she found the woman she had assumed to be making the noise. She glared at the taureness with what seemed like annoyance and rage.

She was a tall one, even for one of her people. Loose black fur hung from her figure, smelling of heavy smoke. Besides the strong odour, she was well groomed with her mane practically shining to look like waves of ebon locks. Her hair was tied into two long braids running down her chest down to her waist. She wore a light robe of pale blue linen. Looking at her face, she had dark brown eyes like Kennocha, but they seemed to staring harshly at her. If it wasn't for the look in her eyes and the way her face looked so tired and unforgiving, she would considered quite beautiful.

"Is this yours?" She grunted, pointing to the wolf gnawing at the bottom of the bag she held.

Kennocha nodded. "Indead. I have been looking for Faeren for a while, but I did not expect to find him like this. I am so sorry about this though. Is there anything I can-"

"No." The other taureness answered quickly. "You have done enough damage as it is."

Kennocha remained silent as she bit her bottom lip. She placed her hand on the wolf's back to steady him away from the woman.

"Who even brings a wolf into Thunderbluff?" The ebon taureness continued on, rambling on as the brown-furred taureness stood and listened.

"I am sorry about everything but I must be going now." Kennocha interrupted after a moment of consideration. She began to turn around, listening for what she was sure to be another rude comment. She took one step forward before the taureness finally spoke.

"Oh Bloomcaller, it is a shame to see you like this. I suppose we can't be picky, especially with all that is to come."

The sound of hooves stopping off in the opposing direction followed right after that comment. However, Kennocha had stopped after hearing those words.

The woman had been vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place just where she had seen her. She would have assumed that she might have previously passed her on the road, but the ebon taureness had used her name.

 _Who is she?_

She thought about for a minute, trying to figure out how she could have known about her before snapping back into reality. Looking up, she saw Faeren growling towards the direction the ebon-furred taureness had taken. He was beginning to stride towards her like he would a gazelle on a hunt. This couldn't end well.

"Calm down Faeren. We have to heading back to see Winoa." She said to the wolf, looking around his legs looking for sign of the other two. "Oh deer, why are Nisi and Yadwi?"

Faeren simply eyed the taureness down. Oh no, the taureness thought.

"Alright, let us head back to Winoa and see if she has heard anything." The taureness reasoned. "From there, we can figure something out."

The two began walking towards the small tent. The crowd has begun thinning from those who returned home to rest, making it easier for them to find their way to the familiar leather tent. Standing in front of it was Winoa with some bags lining the outside, turned with her back to Kennocha as she rummaged through the bag looking for something. Overall, it seemed like she had made good progress in organizing her things.

"You know you do not need to take so many bags, Winoa."

Winoa gave a hearty laugh as she continued looking through her bag. "Are you sure about that?"

"Indeed I am. Should I not be?"

She stopped looking through her bags, her hand reaching to her face to cover her mouth as she continued laughing.

"Possibly."

Rapidly, she jumped up and to the right so Kennocha could see the bag. It was simple enough. Tanned brown hides together as a lighter thread skillfully inscribed some words in Taurahe. It seemed normal to the taureness. However, the top was opened wide and seemed to hold nothing inside.

So why did the bag have a large bulge in it? Before she knew it, a small tuft of brown hairs in the corner that she had assumed to be the rabbit's shedding fur had sprung out of the bag. No, it was Yadwi herself hopping out onto Faeren's head much to his displeasure.

Faeren began shaking his head trying to get her off, but she jumped to his back where his saddle was attached. He smirked, irritated by Yadwi's persistance. Allowing the movement of his head to continue throughout his body, the rabbit struggled to keep on top of the wolf. The two taurenesses watched in awe as the two continue to annoy each other with their abilities, waiting to see who would win. Neither of them were going to go down without a fight however,

Inevitably though, one had to fail. Yadwi had leaped rather high, allowing Faeren to move forward enough so that she would land on his tail if she were lucky. She was not though, as her hind legs touched the end of his fur as hit the grass hard. Despite the fall, she shook it off and made her way to Winoa to hop in her arms.

Kennocha and Winoa was giggling as Yadwi hopped into the extended arms of Winoa.

"Ah Yadwi, you are a rabbit of many talents." Winoa praised as she held the rabbit close to her chest.

"Indeed she is." Kennocha bowed her head towards the rabbit as she checked for any injury. None were there, so she turned to rub Faeren's back. "It is good to see Yadwi safe with you, but do you know where Nisi is?"

Winoa shook her head. "Not at all. I was just finishing packing." She turned around to meet Kennocha's soft smile and pointed in the direction of her supplies. "Where do you want my bags?"

Kennocha glanced towards Winoa's bags. There was only two medium sized bags, one with what she thought to be for clothes and herbs and the other for her leatherworking. However, two more open ended bags laid ready for something.

Winoa noticed Kennocha staring at the two empty bags. "Those are for Yadwi and Nisi. I made them on short notice, but it should be better than the cages you have."

The taureness grinned at her friend. "Thank you. What would I ever do without you?"

Winoa shrugged. "You would be traveling with your critters in makeshift cages. I have already made sure that Yadwi is cozy in them, but I am unsure of Nisi."

Kennocha pursed her lips and nodded. "Alright then. Do you still know where Pavati is?" She inquired with a hint of eagerness in her voice.

Winoa suddenly found the ground to be interesting as she looked to her hooves.

"What happened?" Kennocha asked, concern growing in her voice.

"She was a brave one, but she did not survive our last encounter."

Kennocha stared at her friend with concern. "Oh, I am so sorry Winoa." She kneeled down to look her friend in the eye and hold her chin up.

"It is fine." Winoa declared while trying to sound stern. "I can always ride on Faeren or Talshre."

Kennocha pursed her lips together as she thought of how to explain it to Winoa. "Faeren is getting older and more unforgiving to his rider. As for Talshre, he usually disappears like Nisi if not more so."

"Oh." That was all Winoa could muster. "We should be looking for those two then, huh?"

Kennocha nodded. "I suppose so."

The two spent the remaining light of the day looking around Thunderbluff for signs of either hippogryph or fawn. They looked by the pond, walked down to many of the other tents and checking with their inhabitants for information, and even going to the peak of the city to look both below and above. However, they could not find signs of either one of them.

It was only when they went back to the pond for the third time did they see Nisi drinking from the shaded tree. Faeren had already found her by the looks of it, with the way he laid by her side. Yadwi was huddled next to his other side, taking what the two knew would be a short nap.

"There she is!" Kennocha whispered to Winoa as not to wake any of them up. "Although I suppose we are not leaving for a while longer."

"We are going to be late to spare, aren't we?" Winoa asked jokingly.

"We should not be. It does not start until much later. We have to get going soon though, so we will probably end up using the zeppelins."

"I hate those things. I always worry about falling or dying while on one."

"I know, but it is the only way at this point. If nothing else, you have to give the goblins credit for their ingenuity." Kennocha argued.

"I do not have to like it though." She retorted before looking around. "How long should we let them sleep?"

"I cannot let them sleep any longer right now. We have to be leaving."

"What?" Winoa asked rather shocked. "What about Talshre?"

"He will be fine. We will be coming back here soon enough and if he does not want him to find him, then we will not. Besides, the first zeppelin for Orgrimmar leaves soon."

"Fine, but you should wake up Faeren. I can take care of Nisi and Yadwi."

The two nodded at each other and went through with their plans. While Kennocha was waking Faeren and securing all their supplies, Winoa worked on coercing the critters into the small bags she made for them. Both of them refused, and while Winoa tried to encourage her methods on them, it failed. She eventually gave up and allowed them to walk on either side of the taurenesses.

As soon as they were ready, they walked up the center totem to the top tier of the main mesa and crossed the bridge to the site of their departing zepplein.

"Wait for us!" Winoa called out, leading to the swift halt of the zeppelin.

Once they were onboard, Kennocha groomed the wolf while the smaller critters were quickly fed. They soon made to Orgrimmar, transferring zeppelins to the platform due for Stranglethorn.

The zeppelin arrived later than usual, much to the taurenesses's worry. They made it to Stranglethorn quickly though, the humidity and vast lush jungle making the beasts pant with heat.

They walked into the nearby city tavern. Unlike those in the larger cities, it was empty with only local trolls and deployed orcs at the bar enjoying a few drinks. They did not seem to the two coming in, if not for a few comments made their way.

"Wha' are tou woomen like jooselves doin' dere?"

"Look at all the meat on their bones! Between the five of them, we could eat like warlords for weeks!"

"They must be new around here. Maybe tourists or new recruits? Either way they won't last long here."

Winoa rolled her eyes as she choose a nice table near the door where the companions could make their way outside as needed and they wouldn't be close to the others in the tavern.

"Sister, I'll stay here." Winoa spoke uncertainly. "I don't like the way they are looking at Nisi."

Kennocha frowned for a moment as she looked to the others in the tavern. "Are you sure?"

Winoa nodded. "Farewell Sister. Do not be out too long."

The two taurenesses laughed. "I will be back soon enough."

 **Author's Note-That wasn't as long as I thought, but I'm still not positive about my update schedule. If you have any concerns, comments, or questions, feel free to PM me or review. Thank you all for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	3. Chapter 3-Winoa

Kennocha began walking out of the tavern, holding her staff firmly in her hands as the other patrons talked amongst themselves. Feeling a nip at the bottom of her robe, she glanced down to find Nisi following closely behind. She kneeled down to look the fawn directly and pet the top of her head.

Nisi was less than amused with this. Her eyes stared at the taureness, seeming to challenge Kennocha's stance.

"It is alright. I will back soon. I am sure you will be fine here. Please, stay here."

If the fawn had looked upset before, then she was freaking out by this point. She was rather skittish, continuing to edge closer and closer to the security of Kennocha's legs.

"Alright then," Kennocha sighed. "You can come with me."

She turned to meet Winoa's puzzled gaze. "Are you alright taking care of Faeren and Yadwi while I am gone then?"

Winoa simply nodded. "If I was fine taking care of three critters, then I can work with these two. We'll see you soon."

Kennocha smiled as she walked out of the tavern with Nisi walking side by side with her.

The three of them stayed and listened to the sound of the hooves clomping on the wood, then wet mud. They could hear the rain beginning to trickle down as the pitter patter of raindrops continued to grow heavier.

 _Such a wonderful sound._

The taureness looked down to check on the two critters she had to watch over. Yadwi had begun napping in her lap, her deep breathes soothing the taureness as she gently petted her soft fur. The other critter, however, had decided to less than peaceful.

Faeren had taken to wandering the tavern, much to the annoyance of the other people in the tavern. One large orc in particular was being served a glass of ale by a rather grumpy looking goblin when the wolf suddenly jumped on the bar counter. He walked over it, sniffing the wood for something. The goblin's hand was steady at first, pulling the beverage close to his chest so Faeren could not get to it. Faeren kept getting closer, however. Realizing this, the goblin took a swig of the ale. By the time his lips left the side of the glass, it was void of even a drop.

The orc watched the goblin do so. Rage consumed him as he cursed. "My ale! You dare to drink from my ale! Why you pathetic waste of a green-skinned life, you'll pay for this!"

Standing up so all could see his massive figure, he raised his chair above his head as he smashed it down on the goblin's head.

"Hey, it was that damn wolf! Can't blame me for taking something which was mine in the first place, especially when you haven't paid yet!" The goblin remarked, lifting his hand to touch where the chair had hit. His fingers felt along his hairline, finding it to be wet with something thicker than sweat.

Huffing, the orc clenched his fists. "I hadn't even gotten the first drink!"

"So? Yous gotta pay upfront for good service!"

The orc roared in anger, grabbing the limbs of his broken chair to smash against the goblin's face. He dodged the attack though, jumping backwards towards the shelves of lined bottles.

By this point, the other patrons had stopped watching. A troll woman rushed forward to intervene, only to step onto an area of glass shards and wooden splinters. Screaming in pain, she yelled at what they assumed to be the woman's mate in Zandalari. In any case, he went into action. Morphing his body into that of a panther, he leaped forward to the countertop. He growled, slashing his claws at the orc. The orc grunted as he took the hit before rushing forward with his axe raised to slice open the panther's side. He would have been hit if it had not been for his mate, standing over him with a thick wooden shield. Fights like this sprang up around the tavern, drowning out the noise of the rain with that of weapons being unsheathed and battle cries.

All this happened as Faeren leaped behind the counter. While the tavern keeper and his patrons were busy, the wolf scavenged through the stores underneath the counter. He once again hopped onto the countertop a minute later, but with a large slab of meat between his razor sharp teeth. He made his way back to Winoa while the others fought. Entranced with the meat he just claimed, he laid next to her as he began consuming it. Nobody seemed to notice Faeren until the wolf swiftly sat down. Thunk! The sound seemed to echo yet nobody seemed to care but the goblin recovering from his injury.

"Hey, you gotta pay for that!"

Winoa looked over to Faeren. The slab of meat he had was enormous. She knew she couldn't pay for that.

"Uh, sure. Just let me get my coin purse from outside!"

The goblin narrowed his eyes at her. "Better make it quick! You don't wanna see me upset lady!"

"Of course not." Winoa put on her best smile before lifting the rabbit off of her lap. Holding Yadwi in one arm, she turned to the wolf.

Mustering her best motherly voice, she spoke up. "We have to go Faeren."

The wolf snarled at the taureness.

"Come now, we have to be leaving now." She shook the wolf's back, trying to get him to move.

Faeren growled even louder, trying to make himself a larger threat. Baring his teeth at her, she felt the threat was genuine. However, she had to keep trying.

"Please, we have to go." All patience was lost in her voice. "Come on, old wolf. We need to head out."

The wolf didn't seem to care. Continuing to bite into the meat, he rolled onto his side as to prove his point.

"Damn it Faeren! We are leaving now!"

The wolf paused for a moment to look at the taureness. His eyes bore into her, but Winoa stood firmly in her place. Staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity, the wolf huffed loudly before beginning to lift itself up.

"Good boy, Faeren." She tried to encourage. However, the wolf growled at her. "Or not…"

The three of them began walking outside of the tavern to escape the chaos. The rain was now pouring down hard. By the time they had all walked out to the outer gates of the post, the critters' fur was thoroughly soaked and Winoa had only a few dry spots under the small bags under her cloak. That didn't last long though, as within the next few minutes, the rain had completely claimed its conquest.

While the two critters were unamused by this, with Faeren constantly growling as rain hit his eyes and Yadwi tried to shake it off, Winoa loved the rain. Everything about it made her feel better. From the way it washed away all the dirt and grime from the previous few weeks to the way it weighed her clothes down, it made her think that everything might be alright.

 _Jafern always loved the rain too._

The thought hit her like a herd of kodos. She can't think like that. He is alive and well, she knows it. He will be waiting for her when she gets home, asking where she was. He'll tell her that it was just a long hunting expedition for their celebration and that it's okay. It had to be alright.

 _What if it isn't?_

It has to be. It just has to be. He is simply missing, not gone. He would never leave her like this.

Winoa couldn't tell whether it's rain or tears running back her face, but she is certain that she can't let herself mourne like this. Looking around her, she sees that she has walked quite the distance in the time she had been thinking. They were on the other side of the post now, huddled under the zeppelin tower. Faeren had finally given in to the desire for sleep, lying down in the mud. Yadwi sleep on his neck like she had been before on Winoa's lap. She was simply standing over them, watching them as they slumbered. The guard had graciously turned the other way, but would glance at them when they thought she wasn't looking. The taureness decided that it could have been worse, letting herself sit next to the sleeping beasts.

She tried to relax with the raindrops falling, but her thoughts resumed where they left off. However, she let them run free. She decided that she could see what her mind was trying to tell her while she waited for Kennocha. Her eyes lowered as she rested her head on Faeren's back.

 _Colors beckoned her forward from the dark backside of her eyelids. They were a variety of shades, ranging from a soft orange to a deep brown. They were warm, relaxing her as she came closer to them. She didn't know how she was moving, but she decided that it didn't matter. After all, the colors were just so beautiful._

 _The colors swirl and change in brightness. Some dim while others shine brighter. They begin forming shapes. Brown mountains with hints of green grass. The tops of trees bathed in An'she's light as she rose from behind the mountains. A dark blue sky that became lighter with her presence. She finally recognized this place. This was her home. Their home._

 _Continuing to move forward, she looked around for any sign of anyone. An eagle or a tauren perhaps, but she found nothing but scarce bundles of trees and grasses. Forward she went on, but still there was nothing. That was until she heard laughter from behind._

 _Turning around, she saw familiar figures silhouetted by the light, but she knew them by heart. There they were, laughing about a comment one of them had just made. Kennocha, Jafern, and herself stood in a close circle at the base of the mountain peak. They were younger than they were now, probably around the time that Jafern was being taken on his first hunting trip._

 _She couldn't make out what they were saying, but she vaguely remembered the conversation. They were going to go hiking that day, climbing to the top of Stonetalon Peak._

 _She recalled that it hadn't been easy even getting to the base. They had to convince their tribe that the trip to the mountain ranges was vital. The tribesmen and many of the elders had been skeptical about it. The Peak was far out of range from where they normally roamed and it was valued as an important religious site by many tribes of the region, including them. It would dangerous as well, considering the plethora of dangerous beasts that roamed the mountain ranges. In addition, Jafern had wanted to bring Winoa and his sister along. Winoa and Kennocha, while resourceful and allowed on short trips though local ranges, had never been on any trip like this. Kennocha herself had just barely made it past her tenth summer. The trip would have been canceled had it not been for Elder Stonestrider. She was descended from the tribe's founder and highly valued for her wisdom. She had lost her life-mate recently as well, ensuring that no one would argue with the taureness. They had asked why she allowed them to travel by themselves there when everyone else had been worried about the idea., but all she had told them nothing._

 _They had promptly left the next morning. The next week had gone by, traveling up towards the valley below the Peak._

 _Now, they were at the base of the Peak, ready to hike up. She didn't remember the conversation too well, but she remembered Kennocha being fascinated by the wildlife around the valley. She had been looking at one plant in particular, a large bush full of blossoms, when it had started to drizzle._

 _Unlike her brother and Winoa, Kennocha had yet to find any beauty in rain. She cried out when on drop fell on her muzzle, asking her brother for a blanket to keep her warm. Jafern and her had laughed as they handed her the well worn cover._

 _Now ready to climb, they began to ascend the mountains. The dreaming Winoa smiled as her younger self followed Jafern while holding Kennocha's hand. She had had a crush on Jafern at the time, but she remembered Kennocha had only found out about it on this trip. She had always looked back on this memory fondly as she recalled the young girl's large grin and warm embrace as she decided that she would help the two get together._

 _She expected to see that scene play out now, with the dream fast-forwarding to Jafern leaving their make-shift shelter to gather some fish. Instead, she was shocked to find she had followed Jafern instead._

 _She knew she should of been confused, but decided it was alright. Winoa and Jafern wandered off to the calm river bend where he took his beloved spear and succeed in getting a few fish from the river. She had decided to look over at some herbs near the river when she heard a scream from behind._

 _She didn't know what happened, but now Jafern was in the middle of a roaring river. He begged for help, crying for Winoa to help him._

 _She wanted to move but she was stuck in place. She could only watch as he was swept away. His cries stopped._

 _Now she could hear Kennocha running towards them. No, she was running away from them. She was sobbing and running down the mountain range. Where was she going?_

"Jafern _!" She heard herself call out. "Kennocha, please!"_

 _No response came from her young friend._

"Jafern!"

 _The forest was now quiet. The young Winoa collapsed on the ground, while the dreaming one watched. Suddenly, the river began overflowing. It was rising towards Winoa._

" _Kennocha!"_

 _Water rose to her ankle._

" _Please, where are you Kennocha?"_

 _The water was to her waist. The fish Jafern had hunted were biting her arms. She could feel other fish slapping her where the water had already reached._

"Jafern! _"_

 _Her cries grew louder, more desperate. The river had made it to her neck. She couldn't escape now._

" _Please….."_

 _It came out like a prayer, whispered to the heavens. She was submerged with no way out. She tried holding her breath, but she couldn't do it forever._

 _She opened her eyes once underwater. There, she saw a small calf with brown spotted fur and white horns. He stared at her blankly, seeming to wait for Winoa to respond._

" _I am sorry."_

Gasping for air, Winoa woke up to see Kennocha by her side. Dark marks glowed on her chest and left arm. Her face was streaked with tears and her eyes were wide with fear.

They stared at each other with wide eyes, trying to make out what had happened to them. Finally, Kennocha spoke.

"We have to go."

It was a rushed whisper, but Winoa understood. They walked to the top of the zeppelin tower once the others were awoken. The five of them rode the zeppelin back to Orgrimmar in silence, none of them daring to make a sound.

 **Author's Note- Sorry for the wait, but I'm back! I'm really happy with this chapter and the way it turned out. The next chapter will be about Kennocha's perspective of that night. Oh, and the italics are Winoa's thoughts. I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day! As always, comments, questions, and concerns are appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4-Kennocha

Once Kennocha and Nisi had left the tavern, the taureness couldn't help but look up at the sky. Rain had begun to drizzle down from the clouds above. They were deep gray, low to the ground. The rain was only coming to come down harder later on then.

Sighing, Kennocha began walking to the meeting.

 _It always seems to rain here, does it not?_

While the question seemed rhetorical to herself, she answered anyway.

 _Indeed, but it is not like my rain._

True, it was as warm as the air around her. Never warming her up but never chilling her. However, it wasn't like her home, where rain meant hurrying to bundle up and hoping you remembered to put the waterproof hide over it.

Suddenly, a light tug on her robe made her look back. Staring at the taureness, Nisi looked as though she expected something from her. She couldn't put her finger on it, so she decided to kneel down to pet the fawn.

Her knees touched the wet stone, confusing her for a moment before she looked even farther down. It was the paved road she used most days she was in the jungle, but the increasingly sparse weeds growing from the cracks between they were getting closer to the Arena.

Looking back up at her fawn, she realized she hadn't stopped staring at her.

"We are almost there. Do not worry."

The fawn simply turned her head to the right side of her body, eyes still stuck on the taureness's face.

The taureness did not understand what she was doing, so she lifted herself up again to continue walking. Puzzled, she thought about what the fawn was doing for a moment before pushing it to the back of her mind. After all, they had just arrived at the Arena.

It was a large coliseum, made of that familiar aged limestone. A large ramp beckoned patrons inside to watch the fights inside, where the screams of excited fans and gladiators alike would normally fill the air. However, it had been a long time since the stadium was actively used. Vines wrapped themselves around the sides, stubbornly holding onto their territory. The carvings of the ancient troll empire were faded away, making them difficult to see, never mind understand. The weeds between the cracks were only limited by the few determined trolls and crafty pirates that enjoyed using the area for their own purposes. Today, this arena would be holding the second round of their sparring matches.

Searching the area now for signs of the others, Kennocha concluded that the others had yet to make it. She decided to stay at the front of the Arena while she waited for the others. After all, it made looking out for the others easier. Pursing her lips, she once again kneeled down to Nisi's level. She reached her hand out, allowing it to place it securely on the side opposite of her. While she appreciated the jungles of Stranglethorn, she always worried about getting attacked by something in the dense trees.

There she stayed as more and more people began entering the Arena. She would greet them as they came and most would simply nod as they stood there. A few that she knew well would make small talk with her, but silence would befall the group eventually. The taureness recognized a few of the members, but many of them were either new recruits or back from a long break from duty. All in all, there was a large group of trolls chatting together on the far side of the ramp with their little drunk goblin. A few Sin'dorei came as well, but were standing near the front as they watched everyone come in. She towered over many of them, feeling rather lonely as the others conversed. Maybe she should have tried harder to convince Winoa to come….

* * *

The brawling matches had been all that she had hoped they would be. While a few people were shot or stabbed, most were simple to heal and wouldn't cause too many problems for the injured. Even the harder hits hadn't seriously hurt someone. Thankful that no one was maimed or benched due to injury, Kennocha sighed in relief as she began walking back to the post.

Kennocha looked up at the heavens. She couldn't see An'she or Mu'sha but she knew that Mu'sha should be high into the sky. The thought comforted her as realized that it was raining harder than it had been when she left. Her clothes and fur were completely soaked through, much to her displeasure.

Nisi cried out.

 _Oh, Nisi!_

Kennocha panicked for a moment as she began looking around frantically. She turne back to her front where she found the fawn at the base of her hooves. She was looking up at her, but not at the level she normally looked at….

Oh. She was freaking out about her wounds. Kennocha looked at her chest to see it pulsing with dark magic and blood. The shadowy magic flickered on and off, licking the tattered hide of the robe as it singed her fur. It laid between her breasts, close to her heart. Fortunately, the gash wasn't so deep that it cut into her ribs or organs. Her arm was in a similar state, but its cut was far less deep.

Sighing, Kennocha sat on the ground where the water rushed around her hooves. The taureness carefully took off the ripped robe so that she could have a better look at her wounds. She began charging a healing touch spell to sustain her injuries until she could have it properly looked at. Once that was done, she took the bottom layer of the robe where there was hardly any damage and she ripped it into long stretches of cloth. Tightly wrapping it around her chest, the taureness continued whispering spells to try and heal her chest. A few of them healed, but many of them only aggravated it.

After repeating the process on her arm, she rummaged through her bag, finding her Cohort tabard. It too was soaked, but would do for now. She dressed herself in the tabard, ensuring that she had some basic decency as she and her fawn walked back to the post.

Kennocha decided to take a longer route to the post. After all, she couldn't risk the safety of the wildlife more than she had to. She walked in from the back entrance by the zeppelin tower. She had begun walking to the tavern when she heard someone screaming her name.

Running to its source, she found Winoa in a dream. She was laying on the slumbering Faeren, who didn't seem to mind her constant turning. Yadwi however, was awake and had hopped off to the side of the tower. The taureness in question was screaming, alternating between Kennocha's and Jafern's name.

Biting her bottom lip, Kennocha shook her friend's shoulder once. "I am here. Winoa? I am here. It is alright."

She didn't realize how shaken her voice had been until she had spoken those words.

However, it seemed to do the job as Winoa opened her eyes to meet Kennocha's gaze. They stared at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to speak.

"We need to go."

Neither of them wanted to speak more than that.. Instead, they awoke the tired wolf and headed to the top of the zeppelin tower.

The trip from the post to Orgrimmar and then Thunderbluff was entirely silent.

 **Author's Note-So this chapter had to have a large section of it edited out as it didn't make much sense for what I wanted this story to be about. The events at the arena will still have an effect on Kennocha, but it won't have as big of an impact as it did originally. As always, reviews are great and so are you!**


	5. Chapter 5

An'she was rising when the taurenesses finally made it to their tent in Thunderbluff. It had been a long night for the two of them, as well as the other critters. Exhausted both mentally and physically, Kennocha laid down on the center mat and fell asleep.

While Winoa longed to join her friend, she had to look around the tent for any sign of Jafern. It had been over two weeks since she had last seen him and she was desperate for any sign of her mate. Checking every nook and cranny in the tent, she had hoped to find something but instead found nothing but her many bags and their favorite pipes in the back.

His pipe was relatively long for a regular pipe, made of a light and durable wood. It was well worn and still filled with sage and dreamflower. Hers was a long and sleek pipe as well, made of a heavy wood. It was polished and lightly used, saved only for special occasions.

 _Like their feast coming up in three weeks._

Sighing, Winoa relaxed herself on the mat by Kennocha and let her thoughts continue on.

 _What are we doing for the feast? Who will be in attendance? Are we continuing to plan for it when Jafern isn't even her?_

The tired taureness listened to the questions in her head, trying to think of an answer for any of them. She hadn't been able to think of a response to them before they continued raining concerns on her.

 _What if he doesn't return by the time the celebration begins? Will they carry on with it? Will it seem disrespectful or awkward if they do? What if Jafern never comes back? What then?_

The stress behind the words was clear to Winoa. She knew that she needed to calm herself down, but she couldn't think of a way to do so.

Instead, she looked at Kennocha as she lay slumbering on her mat.

Eyes closed, her friend lay on her stomach with her mouth partially open, breathing softly and consistently. Kennocha was a bit shorter than Winoa when she stood up, but on the ground she looked so small that she could have easily blended in with those just coming of age. At first glance, Winoa thought that she looked quite peaceful. Then she looked closer at her.

Her eyes had dark bags under them from the lack of sleep over the last few days. Her dark brown mane was loosely pulled into twin braids which had not seen a decent bath in days. Leaves and dirt covered her from the top of her mane to the bottom layer of her fur. Her brown coat was heavily matted as well. Her horns and hooves were covered in many layers of dried mud and grime. Looking at her light leather robe (which Winoa had made for her long ago), it was just as dirty as her fur and tattered in many areas. Her backside also wrapped around, but she didn't feel the need to disturb it. After all, it could have just been a field injury from the Legion invasions.

Next, the taureness glanced to Kennocha´s left arm. There she found a hides ripped off her robe wrapped around the arrm. Curious, she unwrapped the arm to find a long cut glowing dark purple. She could make out a bit of blood running from the wound, but it was vastly overwhelmed by the magically purple glow.

 _Well this cannot be good._

Worried about what had happened, she looked over the taureness again. She couldn´t find anything similar to it on her backside, but had yet to look even once. She gently reached under the taureness to turn her over, trying not to wake her up. She turned her friend over and placed on her back. Kennocha didn't stir.

Winoa succeed.

Now able to see the front side, she is shocked to look at Kennocha´s chest. It is wrapped similarly to the arm, with a faint purple and green glow radiating off. Careful to ensure her fingers don't make it any worse, she unwraps the chest wound. Between her breasts is a gash wound similar to her arm, but much deeper. The purple had become much brighter than Winoa would liked to admit. Green light would flicker off the wound on occasion, diming the purple glow before it retreated back to the leather.

She could tell that green was Kennocha´s healing at work, but she wondered why there wasn't something similiar on her arm. Looking back to her arm, she squinted her eyes to see a green light that was barely there at all.

 _Oh._

Turning back to the chest wound, she could see the purple and green glows seeming to dance around, with one always glowing brighter than the other. She didn't know what it meant though. After all, the purple glow was fairly knew to Winoa.

 _What happened to you Sister?_

Looking to the leather hides, she debated retrieving new cloth to dress Kennocha's wounds. Deciding to use spare linen from the tent, she began to redress the wounds. She went for the chest first, wrapping the cloth around her before she had an idea.

Taking out one of her water totems, she asked the element of water to allow her to heal her friend. She couldn't hear the elements respond, but she could see their acceptance to help as water started to move towards the wrappings. Thoroughly soaking them, Winoa thanked the element before returning to wrap the cloth round her chest. It may not have been druidic magic, but it should work for healing the gash marks on her chest. Once she made it around a few times, she repeated the process on her friend's arm.

Once she had finished both the arm and chest, she laid down by Kennocha's side and promptly fell asleep.

They remained still and dead asleep for most of the day. Even though the critters been exhausted from the journey, they had quickly regained their energy from the trip. Waking up about the same time as one another, they looked around the bright midday scenery and figured that they needed to eat now.

The trio had made it into the tent to check on the taurenesses in hope that they had brought food to eat. Unfortunately, they both still slumbered. However, that wasn't going to stop them from eating something soon.

Faeren walked up first, nudging his muzzle on Kennocha's back. Yadwi quickly followed suit, leaving the fawn to go hopping onto the taureness's head. Kennocha didn't move.

Frustrated, the wolf began growling at the taureness. She still didn't react, so he continued to get louder and more aggressive. This scared Yadwi, leaving her to jump over to Winoa's chest. Maybe she could get this one to feed them….

So the rabbit began jumping on Winoa's back. She went back and forth across her spine, getting farther higher than she originally started. This made her meager weight hurt a bit, but Winoa followed Kennocha's example and refused to budge. Once the rabbit landed on Winoa's head one final time, she nipped at her ears like Faeren was with Kennocha's hair. Yet neither stirred.

Huffing, Faeren looked up at the nipping Yadwi. She was a large spotted rabbit, with bits of fat on her bones. Faeren had been "trained" from a young age to hunt carefully and only when Kennocha allowed. This never included going after her other companions.

The first time Kennocha gained a small critter, it had been a larger bunny than Yadwi with good tender muscles. To put it gently, she had been horrified to find the wolf with a small tail coming out of his mouth as he swallowed his meal. She had been strict on few things in his life, but his diet had been the one thing she had kept concern about. She had punished him with more loads off of her back and onto his. It hadn't been too harsh on its own, but when she tried to feed him a lighter meal of herbs, he got the message.

Of course, he made sure not to eat any animal Kennocha had the intention of keeping, but sometimes desperate times come with desperate measures. Especially when neither taureness would arose from their dreams to take him hunting.

Hence he lunged at the rabbit. If no one could see him, then he could get away with it. The rabbit was quick though, and hopped out of the way to get out of the tent as soon as possible.

Faeren followed suit, chasing after the sprinting rabbit. He was going to eat, damn it!

Yadwi had other ideas though. Chasing him around the pond surrounded by gasping taurens, she made a few laps around as the wolf came closer. Realizing that she couldn't keep doing this, she looked for a gap between the gaping tauren. There was one right by what seemed to be a couple having a picnic by the water. Perfect! To throw him off of her trail, she jumped between the two tauren, into the pond and began paddling to the other side.

Yet the hunter didn't give up so easily. He pushed the couple away from one another as he leaped into the water. Unphased by the pond's depth, he scanned the water for his meal.

There it was! It was swimming towards the far end. It had just made it to land as Faeren had begun to paddle. It was running towards the center totem, heading up to an upper tier.

So Faeren followed closely behind. He ran up the winding ramp as he veered right to the next tier. There were a variety of merchants and consumers here, but no sign of the rabbit. He began running across the tier, searching for Yadwi.

He ran across the bridge to one of the other mesas. This was the level with the zeppelin tower that he recognized. He looked around, smelling the ground. He caught the scent of the rabbit here. It was heading to the departing zeppelin!

He dashed over to the zeppelin, leaping to make it onboard to the surprise of the goblins and tauren onboard. Unfazed by the attention, he found the rabbit on one of the back engines. As he neared his prey, he was certain that he would be enjoying a good fulfilling meal of rabbit before Kennocha woke up.

Instead, the rabbit leaped over the edge of zeppelin, barely making it on the extending ramp on the bluff.

Well there goes his meal!

He was about to leap for it when a rope circled around his neck and tightened. Growling, he turned his head to see a few of the goblin crew holding onto the thick rope. One of them, a lanky green female called out to the wolf.

"Stand down!"

Another one, an ever shorter but round female, looked to the speaking goblin.

"Why are ya talkin' to it Gizzie! It's an animal for crying out loud!"

Gizzie clenched the rope tighter as she defended herself. "It might listen! Ya never know with these things!"

Sighing, the other goblin shrugged. "Uh huh. Keep tellin' yaself that one…."

The goblins kept their distance the entire trip to Orgrimmar. A few would whimper occasionally, only to be yelled at by the second woman.

"Alright ya mooks, where do ya think we're takin this thing?"

Gizze squealed in delight. "The pet store!"

The second goblin sighed. "Nope. Anyone else?"

No one spoke up.

"Ugh, I'm working with a buncha idiots. Just follow my lead."

 **Back in Thunderbluff...**

The rabbit made her way back to the tent where Kennocha and Winoa lay sleeping. Nisi had never left the tent, only chewing on the grasses and herbs that grew by the edge of the tent.

Yadwi joined her in her meal after a long drink from the pond's cool water. Once they had their fill, they laid down by the taurenesses for a nap. Mu'sha was rising above the horizons now, with the sky darkening into a deep shade of blue.

Once Yadwi settled in between the taurenesses and Nisi was snuggled up in Kennocha's side, all sleep soundly in the tent.

That is until a large looking tauren stopped in front of their tent. He was a giant even among his people, with graying fur and two elaborate braids running on either side of his face and one down his chin. His horns and hooves gleamed white, but his face was ancient with wrinkles and smile marks. He wore the uniform of a Thunderbluff Brave, complete with the tabard and warrior totem by his side.

He stood at the opening flap of the tent, debating on entering the tent or calling out for its owner to come out. He looked upset, like he would rather be somewhere else. Yet he stood firmly, debating on what to do.

Eventually, he decided to peek into the tent. In it, a rabbit, a fawn, and two taurenesses were huddled together in the center. Looking at the faces of the taurenesses, he knew he was at the right place, but he didn't want to disturb their slumber.

He began to retreat from the tent, when he heard a voice from behind him.

"May I help you?"

It was the taureness with the lighter coat of brown. It had to his mate.

"Are you," he paused to read the letter in his hands. "Mrs. Winoa Summerdream or Miss Kennocha Bloomcaller by any chance?"

The taureness nodded. "If you wouldn't mind, please call me Winoa."

The older tauren returned the nod and grimaced. He had been right, but he wished that he hadn't been.

"I am so very sorry, but I come here with unfortunate news."

 **Author's Note-You have to have cliffhangers! As it is, I am farely behind on this story to what is going on currently, so I may have a few time skips. They shouldn't be too bad though. If there is anything you would like to say, please do so in a review or pm me. Thank you for reading and have a fantastic day!**


	6. Chapter 6

The tauren stood there quietly, waiting for the taureness to respond. Anything would have done. A baffled expression, a mummered question or even a curse directed at him for disturbing her so late at night was expected.

Yet Winoa simply stared at the older tauren at the entrance, waiting to hear more.

He narrowed his eyes at her, engaged in a staring contest to see who would speak first. The tauren desperately wanted her to break, but she kept her lips firmly together. He hated it when he had to deliver new to people like this.

The tauren sighed heavily as he considered the words on his tongue carefully.

"Is this about Jafern?" The taureness asked quietly.

 _Oh boy. This was going to be a fun conversation._

The Brave nodded his head. "He was a brave….well, Brave. I want you to know that he fought with dignity and honor. "

The taureness furrowed her brow, seeming to be confused by his words.

 _Why did they make him give the bad news to their families?_

He mentally scolded himself to get back on track. Unable to think of anything more to say, he took out an envelope from his satchel and handed it to the taureness.

She held her hand out to grab the letter. Her fingers moved gingerly across the front of the envelope and read the words across its front.

"This is Jafern's handwriting." She observed as she looked up to meet the tauren's eyes. "What did he do?"

The Brave felt his eyes widening as she stared at him and asked the question again, this time sounding more like a demand than an inquiry. "What did he do?"

He gulped nervously before answering her. "He joined his brothers and sisters in arm to battle."

The taureness glared at him, her outrage apparent as her eyes became more hostile. "And?"

Her voice was laced in fury as well. The tauren thought it must have been at him though, as she sat her body upright to get a better angle of his anxious figure.

The Brave decided to ignore it, letting himself continue on speaking in hopes of getting out of the tent as soon as possible. "I'm sorry Mrs. Summerdream, but he didn't make it out of battle."

"Was the battle at least won?" A new voice inquired.

Both turned to see the darker taureness looking at him hazily as she lifted herself off of the mat. She hadn't taken being awoken as well as her friend, but she seemed aware enough to keep looking at him, waiting for an answer. Winoa looked back to the tauren and stared.

Before him were two faces: one of worry and one of rage. He knew he couldn't alter the upcoming outcome, so he simply shook his head.

"No."

The word echoed in the tent, met only by the silence of the taurenesses. He took this as an invitation to continue speaking.

"He died for the sake of the word, but the demons were overwhelming our troops. There was just too many of them. We were forced to retreat soon after we arrived. Many good soldiers are missing, but we suspect most of them are dead."

"How can you be so sure Jafern is dead then?" The darker taureness, Kennocha, asked.

Winoa nodded. "Indeed, if you aren't sure if many of them are dead, then Jafern could still be alive!"

The tauren looked at the two of them with his sad old eyes. Both of them were allowing themselves to get too hopeful.

"True, we are not sure on many of them. However, Jafern is one of a few confirmed dead." The gray-furred tauren explained. "Many of us, myself included, saw him as one of the first to charge towards the demon flank. He took down a few demons, but he couldn't hold them off for long."

The Brave took a deep breath before resuming where he left off. "We don't know how he exactly he died. All we know is that a gut-wrenching scream escaped from an unfortunate fellow. It was filled with agony but quickly died down. We didn't think much of it in the heat of battle. There were so many cries and screams that we couldn't waste time listening to each of them.

"It wasn't until we were forced to retreat that we noticed he and many others were missing. While we couldn't tell which screams belonged to which soldier for the most part, Jafern was different. He had actually screamed out a word as he died."

He paused, looking towards the two taurenesses. Kennocha stared at him with tears running down her face while Winoa was holding her close to her chest. She stroked her fingers across her friend's mane, silently watching the tauren as she realized he had stopped.

"What was it?" Winoa asked quietly anxiously.

The Brave hesitated for a moment before speaking. "It was a name."

Kennocha looked up and questioned. "Which one?"

"Maliko." The name rolled off his tongue without a second thought.

Kennocha furrowed her brow, not making the connection with the haze of sleep still looming over her. Winoa, however, widened her eyes.

"Maliko…" She whispered the name by Kennocha's ear. "How could we have forgotten about Maliko?"

The dark brown taureness finally realized what they were talking about. Her tears only came down harder and she buried her face in Winoa's robe. "It was the Broken Shore, was it not?"

Winoa embraced her friend in a tight hug. "Oh Sister….." The taureness comforted in a low whisper as she rubbed her back.

The Brave couldn't help but feel guilty as he watched the scene. He knew it wasn't his fault, but he knew he had to do something.

 _But what?_

He had no answer to that, only staring at the grieving taurenesses. It stayed like this for a while until Winoa looked up the Brave.

"Is there any word from Elder Stonestrider?"

Her question confused him for a moment before he understood its meaning.

"No, you two were the first to hear about this."

The light brown taureness nodded. "Alright then. You don't need to send the news to them. We'll do it ourselves. Our son needs to hear about this, as does the rest of the tribe."

The Brave was confounded by the focus in her eyes as she spoke, but decided to leave it as is. He didn't want any more trouble than he was already in.

"Of course. Do you need any help with your journey?" He asked with concern.

Winoa shook her head. "We will be fine. Thank you for sharing the news. If you wouldn't mind though, we need some privacy."

The Brave nodded.

She held Kennocha's hands, placing them by Nisi before rising from her spot. She ushered the tauren out of the entrance he had come out of.

"Ancestors watch over you, dear Brave."

"You as well, Mrs. Winoa."

The tauren frowned as she turned back into the tent.

 _Finally._

He began walking away to check on his own child, but not before muttering a quick prayer to the Earthmother to watch over the two taurenesses. They would need it.

* * *

Gizzie was getting tired of restraining this damn wolf.

"Boss, how long until we get there?" The goblin groaned as she held a rope around the wolf as she tight as her fingers would allow.

The boss didn't seem to notice her comment, only continuing to walk forward until she reached the front of a large building. It was a generic Orcish hut, complete with a fence of bones and barbed wire. Boars roamed the area of the fence, snorting as glop flew out of the only window of the central structure. A grunt could be heard from within as something green flashed by the window.

"Stop." The boss ordered.

The familiar shape of a giant, bulking orc opened the front door, walking towards the group of goblins. He wore dark grey plate that covered his entire body like a military uniform. His head was completely bald, with only a shining green cap to show for it. His face wore a snarl similar to the wolf she was restraining, eyeing each of them down before looking towards the wolf.

"Finally! I've been waiting for my wolf for a long time. You better hope you have a good explanation for this."

The boss laughed. "See, I told you guys he'd be ecstatic!"

Now, Gizzie may not know much, but she knew what an customer like this would do to a goblin like her. Seeming to agree with her, the wolf tried to step back, growling at the large orc.

 _I hope ya got a good explanation boss. We'll need it._

 **Author's Note-Alright, I just edited all the chapters and added a new, so not bad work for the day. If there are any errors, please correct me. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed reading this and have a spectacular day!**


	7. Chapter 7

Kennocha woke up to the morning light of An'she. She smiled as its warmth stroked her face gently, letting herself enjoy its simplicity.

Then she remembered.

It hit like a stampede of kodos; her brother was dead. He had left with the other soldiers to die. He died in battle, without a healer to look after make it worse, Jafern perished alone, with only a demon to watch the light of his eyes fade as he cried for his family.

The taureness felt tears running down her face, but she didn't care. All she could think about was if she had been there. She could have helped him. She could have mended his injuries, watched over him in the fight, convinced him to stay home, and so on. She could have saved him. He could still be here if she hadn't been taking care of the dying and the injured in Orgrimmar.

Then she wouldn't have to bury him. She wouldn't have to look Maliko in the eyes and tell him that his father was dead. Then Winoa wouldn't have to grieve on the day they were supposed to celebrate. Kennocha wouldn't have to face that she had let Jafern die.

Jafern would still be here if it hadn't been for her.

She continued to sob, letting herself curl up on the mat she had been sleeping on. She ran her fingers over the texture of the mat.

It was soft, but it wasn't the hide she was expecting. Instead it was cloth, intricately braided and woven into a work of art. The ends were frailed from use, the once brilliant colors faded to soft blues and greens. Stray threads were everywhere, needing to be trimmed so it didn't unravel. But Kennocha didn't care.

This was the first piece Winoa had ever woven. A beautiful design she had memorized long ago, one of trees and mountains underneath a bright blue sky. This wasn't even a mat; it was a tapestry. One meant to honor the ancestors and recently passed, with the Earthmother embracing her children as they crossed the line between life and death.

It had originally been meant to honor her deceased father, the first death many of the tribe's children had ever seen. Yet it laid here to honor the newest spirit of the tribe: Jafern.

Sighing, Kennocha lifted herself off of the mat. Not bothering to wipe her tears off, she looked around the tent for Winoa. However, she was meant by silence and the emptiness of the tent.

 _Winoa?_

Kennocha's foggy thought echoed as she walked to the entrance. Lifting the flap, she made her way outside to the quiet of the city. Glancing up to the heavens, she saw that An'she had only risen her upper half above the distant mountains.

She looked back down at eye level and began looking for Winoa. Turning around the tent's exterior, she found the light brown taureness organizing her bags as she muttered something. She couldn't hear what she was saying, but she could tell that the words weren't in any way pleasant.

"Winoa?"

Kennocha looked to her friend, waiting for a response. She was ignored though, Winoa still working as she muttered.

"Sister, what are you doing?" Her voice was picking up confidence as she spoke.

Still, she was ignored.

"Winoa!"

The sheer volume of her voice surprised Kennocha. Winoa looked up with a calm fury behind her eyes. She hadn't ever seen Winoa like this.

"What is it?" Winoa growled, her usual patience cut thin.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing?"

Winoa softened her gaze, but kept her speech the same. "I'm fine."

"No, you are not 'fine'." Kennocha declared, her voice soft as she spoke. "Please, have some tea with me. I can brew it this time if you would like."

"No, we have to be leaving soon."

"And this means that you cannot rest for a cup? You always loved tea when you were stressed! Please, let me help."

Winoa stood up and strode to Kennocha. "What is wrong with this scene?"

"What?" Kennocha asked, confused by her friend's question.

"You heard me." Winoa growled, stepping to Kennocha's side as she waited for an answer.

Kennocha looked around the tent, yet she saw nothing of interest.

"I have no idea what you want to see, Winoa."

Winoa exhaled sharply. "Alright, who do you see out here?"

Kennocha looked again. By the pond, she spotted her fawn and rabbit curled up together. They were snoozing off, close together for warmth. They must have left the tent sometime in the night.

"Well, there is Nisi and Yadwi over there." Kennocha pointed to the pond's edge.

"And in the tent?" Winoa inquired, still waiting for Kennocha to figure it out.

"No one."

Winoa sighed. "So where Faeren?"

Kennocha thought about it for a moment, thinking back through the morning and previous night.

She widened her eyes as the lightbulb flickered on. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

She stood there, still as a statue as she processed the information. "He was not even there when we went to sleep."

"Exactly." Winoa said frustrated. "I finished packing our bags for the trip, but I cannot find the wolf to load it on. This is when I'd go to Talshre, but he hasn't even landed yet!"

"It's days like this when I miss Pavati." Winoa spoke, her voice finally softening to match her face.

Kennocha looked to her friend, watching her distress over the situation. "I am sorry Winoa, but we have to stay calm in times like this."

Winoa laughed. "You've been crying all morning, yet you want me to go on like it's all alright."

"No, that is not-"

"Come on Kennocha, we have to go." Winoa pleaded, wanting to leave quickly. "Maliko is waiting."

Kennocha paused, choosing her words carefully as she replied. "I know he is, but we cannot leave without a way out. Please, let us enjoy a cup and calm our nerves."

Winoa sighed. "Alright then, but just one cup. Then we need to find Faeren."

"Of course, Sister." Kennocha wrapped her arm around Winoa as she walked back into the tent.

Once inside, Kennocha walked to the kettles and cups on the counter. She moved her hands around the counter, looking for the herbs she needed to calm them down.

"Kennocha?" Her friend called out.

"Yes?"

"You know where the herbs are, right?"

Kennocha shook her head. "Not that I can remember."

Winoa gave a small laugh before walking to Kennocha's side. Her hands moved over the counter to the corner of the cupboard.

"Here we are. You need to make a cup for yourself as well, okay?"

Kennocha nodded as her friend walked back to the tapestry. She was patching up her original work, cutting off stray ends and stitching the old holes out while Kennocha made them their tea.

As soon as Kennocha had finished brewing the tea, she walked over to Winoa with a cup in each hand. There were both hot to the touch, poured into small flasks with a strand of green sage sticking out of the opening. While she couldn't say it was her best cup she had ever made, Kennocha told herself that it was alright. That it was just what they both needed after such a rough night.

"Here you go." She handed the cup in her left hand to her friend.

Winoa smiled as she took the cup. "Thank you."

The two sipped their beverages, enjoying its warmth and flavor in silence. Kennocha knew they were both thinking over the last few nights, but neither wanted to bring it up. Yet Winoa stared at the wounds on her chest.

 _Of course she would. She is trained healer after all. Why wouldn't she be worried about a large gash across my body after a Cohort meeting?_

Kennocha scolded herself, trying to enjoy the beverage. Then again, her concerns brought themselves back to her attention.

 _What would Jafern say about this? He would be upset after this, but she would call him on it, wouldn't she? Where is Faeren? Did he run off without her? How are they going to tell their tribe about what happened to one of their cherished members? What of Maliko? How are they going to work around the feast now?_

Of course she couldn't just enjoy some tea with Winoa.

Kennocha looked down, her tears coming back as she finished her beverage.

"Kennocha." Winoa said, mentally demanding Kennocha to look up to her.

So she did. Their eyes meet, staring at one another until Winoa finally spoke.

"I know you said you were fine, but you and I are both trying to deal with….everything. You have to stay strong Kennocha. For Maliko and Jafern's sake."

Kennocha nodded. "How are we going to find Faeren?"

WInoa sighed. "I don't know. The only thing I can think of is to ask the locals if they saw him last night."

"That sounds like a good plan." Kennocha rose from the ground. "I can take the center mesa and its tiers. Would you mind looking through the outer mesas?"

"Not at all." Winoa lifted herself off the ground, extending her hand to Kennocha.

Kennocha grinned and shook the hand. "Thank you."

With that being said, the two exited the tent. They split up, leaving the rabbit and fawn to slumber as they began their search.

 **Author's Note-So I did some editing to streamline the story and make it easier to follow without the interference of the current roleplay. Of course, some events have been mentioned, like the Cohort meeting, but they won't have too big of an impact. As always, PM and/or review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Winoa huffed as she leaned on the side of the center totem, breathing heavily as she looked over yonder at the Spirit Rise.

She had already searched the other two rises for the most of the day, running around in circles asking about Kennocha's wolf. While the gatherers and trackers from the Hunter Rise had more than willing to help, they hadn't seen him. Nor were they able to track him with their beastal companions. Over on the Elder Rise, she had asked for any sign of the wolf. As she expected, she was met only by the shaking of heads and the best of wishes from the residents of the area.

It was disheartening to say the least. Winoa had hoped that at least one of the outer locals had seen a glimpse of Faeren. After all, they could see far beyond the horizon of Mulgore. Surely, they would have seen a large brown wolf if he had ran off to go hunting.

Yet that hadn't been the case. While she wouldn't know for sure until she checked the final rise, she reasoned that either the wolf was still in Thunderbluff or had disappeared when no one else had seen him. Of course, the former was more likely, but Winoa was trying to be as optimistic as Kennocha usually was. After all, she had a son to get home to.

Straightening her figure, she walked over to the bridge extending from the center rise to the final outer mesa. About half way across, she took a sip of water from her flask, enjoying the cooling effect it had on her dry tongue.

Once her hooves stomped on the solid ground once again, she let out a heavy sigh from exastution. It had been a long, tiring day for the light taureness.

"You again?"A voice questioned behind her. It was a low, mocking tone, but one that she recognized.

Winoa turned around to look at the source of that voice. True to her suspicions, there stood a tall, black-furred taureness. Her fur hung loosely from her frame, as though she hadn't eaten anything in many years. Her eyes were dark brown like Kennocha's, but were hollowed out, seeming to eye the other taureness like a threat. Her linen robe had the overwhelming stench of smoke radiating off it, almost like a smokehouse to those nearby.

"It is been a long time. How have you been, Summerdream?" The ebon-furred taureness asked, attempting to be caring yet failing miserably with her harsh undertone.

Winoa, however, knew it wasn't personal. "I have quite well. What about yourself? It has been a while since I have seen a Duskhorn around here."

The dark taureness exhaled sharply at the mention of her name, but she kept her tone rather snarky. "Not as well as you have been. Tell me, have you had any luck yet?"

Winoa shook her head.

"I figured as much. You couldn't help me all those years ago. Why would you be able to help me now?" The questioned seemed to be directed at the ebon-furred taureness herself, but Winoa decided to answer the question for her.

"Because I can finally help you now."

"Oh?" The ebon-furred taureness asked sarcastically. "How so?"

Winoa softly stomped her right hoof in place as she looked over the other taureness. "Kennocha and I are trying to get back home. Once we're there, we can help you find her again."

"Why would you want to go back now?"

The lighter taureness reached down to her belt, feeling over it until she found her attached parchment. She held it in her hand as she spoke.

"We have to deliver information about one of our own."

She handed it over to the ebon-furred taureness without looking it over, having memorized so long ago. The ebon-furred taureness looked over the well-inked parchment, furrowing her brow as her eyes traveled further down the page.

"How odd…" Duskhorn muttered as she eyed it over.

Winoa hardened her gaze at the other taureness. "What?"

"I wouldn't have expected this from you Summerdream." She looked up the other taureness's firm expression. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much, but I need your help if you want mine."

The ebon-furred taureness glanced back at the parchment in her hands before looking back up at Winoa. "Interesting material here, but does the Bloomcaller know?"

"No."

The two stood there in silence, thinking it over. Winoa held her breath, waiting for the other to come to her own conclusion. Fortunately, it didn't take long before the ebon-furred taureness spoke up again.

"Alright then. What do you need?"

Winoa sighed with relief. She hadn't been expecting the dark furred taureness to respond so positively or without even an argument. "We need to find Faeren."

The dark taureness raised an eyebrow. "She still has the wolf?"

The light-furred taurenes nodded.

"Strange. I thought I saw a similar looking wolf running towards the zeppelin tower the other night."

Winoa widened her eyes. "You're coming with me then."

"If you say so."Duskhorn shrugged.

"Why are you so eager to come?" Winoa asked, letting the words flow from the depth of her mind.

The ebon-furred taureness sighed. "If what you're saying is true, then you know what this means to me. You finally understand it. Perhaps this will lead to the results I have been waiting ages for."

The light-furred taureness bowed her head. "Thank you Deirdre."

Deirdre winced as Winoa spoke her name. "You know the rule about calling me that, Summerdream."

"Of course. I am sorry for the slip of the tongue."

"Not yet." Duskhorn muttered.

Winoa ignored the previous comment, thinking about how off the situation was. After a moment of thinking, she came to a realization.

"Kennocha."

Duskhorn stopped in her tracks. "What about Bloomcaller?"

"She needs to come with us."

Duskhorn widened her eyes. "No, she doesn't."

"I know it's difficult for you, but she had to come. It's her wolf after all." Winoa reasoned with the ebon-furred taureness.

Knowing that she wasn't going to change Winoa's mind, she complied. "Fine, but after we get back to Stonetalon, you are going to begin your search for her again."

"But Maliko….." Winoa trailed off.

"He will be fine in his aunt's care." Her voice softened as she began to beg. "Please, Summerdream, I've waited nearly fifteen years with no result. Give me something, anything."

While Winoa had been able to hold her ground to get Duskhorn to travel with her, she knew this was the one issue she couldn't press any further. "Very well."

"Promise me you'll find her."

"I can't…."

"Promise!"

And so Winoa raised her hand to her chest. With her fingers, she traced the symbol of a raven across the front of her heavy robe. "I promise you, once we have Faeren back with us, we will travel to Stonetalon again. Once there, I will reunite the two of you. I promise you this, else my own kin suffer like you have."

Duskhorn held her gaze at the taureness, with her face as clear as mud. "Thank you."

"And your promise?"

The ebon-furred taureness repeated the motion of the raven across her own chest. "And I promise you, I will help you find your wolf. I will protect your kin as long as you help mine. That I promise, else I lose myself in my grief."

With that, the two lowered their hands and began walking to the center rise. The walked to the tent Winoa and Kennocha shared, prepared to see the other critters eating or napping. What they didn't expect, however, was a large green orc towering over the entrance, screaming at a crowd of goblins. Nor did they expect a familiar brown wolf with his legs and jaw bound together.

Winoa looked around, hoping to see her friend at the scene to clarify the scene. Yet Kennocha was nowhere to be found.

 **Author's Note-Finally! The ebon-furred taureness from Chapter 2 makes her appearance again! I am really happy with how this chapter ended. As always, however, any critic or comment is appreciated. It helps me write and organize my story better. Thank you for reading and have an amazing day!**


	9. Chapter 9

_What on Azeroth are they doing here?_

Winoa stared wide-eyed at the scene in front of her. The orc seemed rather upset by the goblins, presumably for another money-grabbing scheme.

"What are you doing here?" Duskhorn asked in a loud voice.

Both the goblins and orc turned towards the two taurenesses, letting her get a good look at them.

The orc had bright green skin, reflecting the light of day on his bald head. The lack of body hair made his snarl all the more terrifying to those unaccustomed to the orcish people. His body was covered in a dark plate armour, leaving nothing unprotected as if he was entering battle. In his right hand he held a large dual-sided axe, which he looked eager to use on the goblin in tn the center of the others.

She was a short goblin by anyone's standards. She seemed successful though, judging by the rolls of fat coming off her side, showing that she had more than enough to eat. She was dressed in an expensive uniform, glistening with gold trimming. Her blue hair was well kept, her light brown eyes looking over the taurenesses as if they were a potential profit. Behind her, a few other goblins stood. They stared at her with hungry eyes, except for one. She was a lean goblin, with paler green skin than her assumed boss. She dressed just nicely as her boss minus the gold trims and pressed cloth. Her hair was a mess of red strands and her face the epitome of tired workers everywhere.

All stared at the two taurenesses until the center goblin-presumably the boss-spoke up.

"Ah, ya must be the proud owner of this excellent specimen of a wolf!" She spoke with the showmanship of the typical salesperson. "We were wondering about this little fella ova' here!"

 _Oh boy._

"Really?" Duskhorn questioned.

The goblin walked over to the taureness, pushing aside the axe as she made her way to them. "Oh, of course we were! We were just about t-"

The goblin was interrupted the growl of the orc. "This is your wolf, correct?"

Winoa shook her head. "I'm a friend of the owner, however. We've been looking all day for him." SHe narrowed her eyes as she continued, her voice getting lower as she spoke. "I want to know where he was and why."

The goblins all opened their mouths to speak, hollering over one another with excuses and promises. Winoa couldn't understand any of them, but she could detect the tone of false certainty and confidence.

"Shut up!" The orc commanded.

Yet the goblins continued on talking.

The orc raised his axe with his right hand and grabbed one of the other goblin workers-the tired female one-with his other. "I said, shut up!"

Silence.

The orc cleared his throat, turning to the taurenesses to address them. "These damn goblins were trying to sell the wolf to me as the war mount I had payed for earlier. Yet they were stupid enough to give me this pathetic wolf!" His head turned to glare at the goblins before continuing on.

The orc huffed angrily for continuing. "I questioned the runt about where they got such an old, pathetic wolf. They led me here and promised a better wolf if I could find the proper owner. I want my honorable companion-now!"

"Calm down!" Winoa yelled out. "There is a wolf breeder in Orgrimmar that specializes in mounts for battles. Go see him, but don't kill these people!"

"I was told you had the wolf!"

"I have no other wolf. Faeren is one of the only wolves in Thunderbluff!"

"Faeren….such a fitting name for a whelp." The armoured orc growled.

The goblin in the orc's hands decided to speak at that moment. "Hey!"

"What?" The orc turned to his left hand, grumbling as he waited for her to act.

She gulped, everyone aware of how well her previous actions had held up. "We may not be able to sell this wolf to ya for a cheaper price, but we do have another offer!"

The orc made a deep sound in his throat-a laugh perhaps? "Look at how well these discounts have worked out for you. You have nothing to bargain with."

"But I do! We, uh...have a special offer just for ya! Just let me go and I'll show ya!"

Winoa could tell he wasn't sold on the idea, growling once more at the goblin group.

 _He's like a feral wolf._ Winoa thought.

"Oh yeah!" The goblin appeared confident as he continued on. "We gotta an amazing offer for ya! Ya just gotta come to Orgrimmar with me to see the breeder there. Just as the nice cow said, there's an amazing wolf breeder."

"But this one's a runt!" The orc interrupted.

"Yeah, he's the runt of a much larger pack. I'm sure ya orcs have had yar runts in those clans of fine warriors, right?"

The orc narrowed his eyes and lowered the goblin down to the ground. He even took his hands off of her neck.

"See, ya dig it! Now, let me show ya those furry beautifies." The goblin began walking towards the zeppelins with the orc walking proudly behind her.

The goblin workers followed suit, beginning to leave the large goblin. Many of them ripped pieces of their uniforms off and declared their leave of absence. The goblin boss turned to the taurenesses to say something, but the taurenesses simply walked over to the wolf to free him. Seeing this as her chance to leave, the boss left with no signs of where she left to.

Yet the taurenesses were grateful.

 _It could have been a lot worse. Kennocha won't have to see Faeren like this._

"What happened to Faeren?" Kennocha cried out.

 _Nevermind._

She ran over to the tent, worry written all over her as she felt the ropes around the wolf. She began spouting questions left and right about the poor wolf.

"Where was he? What were those goblins doing at the tent? What about the orc? Is Faeren okay? Do you know where he was before you found him? Has he ate recently? Oh Faeren, what did they do to you?"

Winoa simply looked on bewildered by her friend's anxiety. "He is fine, Kennocha. Let's just take some deep breaths. Ready?"

The two spent the next few minutes doing breathing exercises, much to the boredom of Duskhorn.

A cough could be heard from the ebon-furred taureness. Kennocha turned to face her, surprised to see another person there.

"Hello?" Kennocha asked, puzzled as to why she was there.

Duskhorn furrowed her brow. "You don't recognize me, Bloomcaleler?"

Kennocha shook her head. "You cannot be too bad if you helped Faeren though." She stood up to look her straight in the eye. "I see you know who I am, but could I get a name for you?"

"Duskhorn. You really don't remember?" The ebon-furred taureness crossed her arms.

"I am sorry, but I don't." The brown taureness bit her bottom lip. "May I help you though?"

"I'm coming with you to Stonetalon. It's been a long time since I've been home."

Kennocha nodded. "We know the feeling. I see Winoa has already welcomed you along, but do you have everything you need?"

Duskhorn bowed her head in response. "I'm ready."

"Alright then. Winoa and I still have to pack our supplies onto Faeren, but we should be ready to go shortly."

Winoa chuckled. Kennocha turned to see what was funny when she saw Faeren free of his bonds, licking the taureness's face.

"It's good to see you too." Winoa rubbed side of Faeren's neck.

Kennocha smiled and turned to Duskhorn. "We'll leave soon enough. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The ebon-furred taureness bit her tongue as she swallowed a harsh retort down. "You as well."

 **Author's Note-Well, my area was hit by an awesome storm, so sorry about the later update. As always, any comments, questions, or concerns about the story are greatly appreciated. Thank you all for reading my fanfic and have an awesome day!**


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